Netflix reported fourth-quarter revenue growth of 18% (17% expected), driven by membership growth, price hikes, and increased ad revenue.
Operating profit rose 30% to $3.0bn, with margins up from 22.2% to 24.5%. Both came in ahead of expectations, driven by the top-line growth.
Free cash flow rose 36% to $1.9bn, and net debt was at $5.4bn at the end of the period.
For 2026, first-quarter revenue is expected to grow 15% (16% expected), with operating margins improving by 0.4 percentage points (2.6 expected). For the full year, revenue growth of 12-14% was broadly as expected, but margin guidance of around 31.5% was lower.
Netflix has amended its Warner Bros. offer to all cash and will be suspending share buybacks to help fund the acquisition.
The shares fell 5.4% in pre-market trading.
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Netflix key facts
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This article is original Hargreaves Lansdown content, published by Hargreaves Lansdown. It was correct as at the date of publication, and our views may have changed since then. Unless otherwise stated estimates, including prospective yields, are a consensus of analyst forecasts provided by LSEG. These estimates are not a reliable indicator of future performance. Yields are variable and not guaranteed. Investments rise and fall in value so investors could make a loss.
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